By Brenda Kayo:
A heated exchange erupted in Parliament Tuesday when lawmakers questioned the whereabouts of the K5 billion allocated to each constituency for Constituency Development Fund (CDF) projects.
Opposition legislators accused the government of failing to release the money, a development they say has culminated in the country being strewn with stalled projects.
The debate was sparked by Dowa East Member of Parliament (MP) Richard Chimwendo Banda, who demanded to know whether the K5 billion CDF was available.
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He said legislators were struggling to explain to their constituents why development projects had not commenced.
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“We are being blamed by communities for the lack of visible development”, yet the responsibility for releasing the funds “lies with the Minister of Finance Joseph Mwanamvekha”.
Leader of the Opposition in Parliament Simplex Chithyola Banda backed the concerns.
“The truth does not need justification. Government should simply tell Malawians that it does not have the K5 billion to disburse to councils,” Chithyola Banda said.
He said projects had come to a standstill because no council in the country had received the funds.
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“The truth is they do not have the money. That is why they are failing to disburse the CDF [allocations]. This will negatively affect the implementation of development projects because nothing is moving,” he said.
However, Deputy Leader of the House Shadric Namalomba dismissed the allegations.
He said it was ironic for MPs to blame the government when established procedures for accessing the funds had not yet been completed.
Namalomba said before any money could be released, community development committees (CDCs) must first meet with local communities to identify and prioritise development projects.
The district councils then facilitate the procurement process, including advertising for contractors, evaluating bids and awarding contracts.
Namalomba said only after contractors have been awarded contracts and district commissioners (DCs) submit requests for advance payment does the Ministry of Finance release the funds.
“There is no way the Minister of Finance can disburse funds before contractors are identified and advance payment requests are submitted,” Namalomba said.
He urged lawmakers to work closely with DCs and CDCs to speed up procurement processes instead of blaming the government for the delays.
Namalomba further defended the government’s approach, saying releasing the entire K5 billion into CDF accounts before procurement procedures were completed could lead to the misuse of public resources.
He said the government had a responsibility to safeguard taxpayers’ money by ensuring that all legal and financial procedures were followed before any CDF funds were disbursed.
Namalomba asked MPs to stand if any of their councils had been denied the payment of the fund.
However, no lawmaker stood up.
